Venetian blind



Feb, 5, 1952 M. J. NARDULLI 2,584,607

VENETIAN BLIND Filed May 13, 195o z! aas 355 Il "L" l I znz www!! y lrzvefz for @Jj/M 2% Patented Feb. 5, 1,952

VENETIAN BLIND Michael J. Nardulli, Elmwood Park, Ill., assignor to Michael J. Nardulli, Angelo F. Naples, Peter F. Nardulli, and William H. Mozal, as trustees 1 under a trust knownas Western Engineering Trust Application May 13, 1950, Serial No. 161,875

This invention relates yto Venetian blinds, and

particularly to such blinds of the type wherein independent tilting and elevating cords are employed.

In Venetian blinds of the above type, it is well known that where the length of the blind is relatively great, the provision of conventional tilting structure is relatively costly, and it is the primary object of the present invention to simplify the rproduction and structure of such blinds.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the principle thereof and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same Y or equivalent principle may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. `l is a front elevational View of a Venetian blind embodying the invention; v

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view of the head rail and operating structure of the blind;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the head rail with the cords and supporting rollers removed;

Fig. 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the roller supporting brackets.

For purposes of disclosure the invention is herein illustrated as embodied in a Venetian blind having a hollow channel-like head rail 2I adapted to be supported in conventional mounting brackets. The head rail has front and rear walls 2IF and ZIR and a bottom wall 2IB and is provided with a conventional cord lock 22 disposed over an opening 23 near one end of the bottom wall 2 IB. The blind 20 has the usual slats 24, ladder tapes 25 and toe rail 26 associated with each other in the usual manner, and elevating cords 21 are extended upwardly from the toe rail 2B through the usual holes in the slats 24 and are extended through openings 28 in the bottom wall 2IB and to the cord lock 22, as will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

In accordance with the present invention, the means within the head rail 2| for supporting the upper ends of the tapes 25 and for imparting tilt- 1 Claim. (Cl. 160-176) t ing movements to the tapes is materially simplied,rand, as will be evident in Figs. 1 and 2, each such tape is supported on an independenthori'- Zontal roller, two of which are required in the present embodiment, and are identified as rollers 30A and 3dB; The rollers SBA and 3GB are supported in and longitudinally of the head rail 2 I,

las will hereinafter be described, and the inner and outer bands of the ladder tapes 26 are extended upwardly through openings 3 I in the bottom wall 'ZIB and are connected together over the respective rollers as by sewing or stapling at 32. Thus,

Ythe tapes 25 have supporting loops that rest frictionally on the respective rollers 30A and 30B.

The rollers SllA and 30B are respectively sup-` ported by sheetmetal brackets 35A and 35B that `are generally similar in construction and mounting, as will hereinafter be described. The bracket '35B has a base 35X and upstanding end walls 35E at its opposite ends, and in the end walls`35E,

Iembossures 35P are formed. One such embossure has a central hole 35H formed therein, while the other has an upwardly opening Islot 35S therein, and pins 3B projecting axially from opposite ends of the roller 3GB are supported in these openings 35H and 35S which serve as bearings for such pins. Along opposite edge of the base 35X, upstanding guide anges 35G are formed along which the bands of the tapes 25 may move, it

being noted that these flanges are disposed justy inwardly of the adjacent edges of the openings 3l through which such bands extend. The bottom wall 35X is secured to the wall 2 IB by any suitable means such as screws 31, and at the point directly over the opening 28, the metal of the wall 35X is struck upwardly to form a pair of upstanding ears 38 disposed on opposite sides of a relatively large opening 39, and between the ears 38 a cord guide roller 4i) is rotatably mounted. Thus, one of the elevating cords 21 extends through the openings 28 and 39 and over the roller 40, and openings 4| are formed in both ends 35E to provide clearance for such cords 21.

The bracket 35A that supports the other roller 35A is somewhat different than the bracket 35B in order to enable a tilt cord 45 to be operatively associated with the roller 30A. Thus, for supporting the right-hand end of the roller 30A, the bracket 35A has its right-hand end wall 35E formed in the same manner as the bracket 35B, while the left-hand up'standing end 35E is modifled, as will be hereinafter described. A cord guide roller 40 is also afforded as in the bracket 35B.

At its left-hand end, the bracket 35A has an actuating or tilt means mounted on an upstanding end wall for association with the roller 30A, vwhereby operation of the cord 45 may impart rotating movements to the roller 30A, and in the present case such means are aiorded by a pulley 41 rotatably mounted by a bearing pin 48 on the adjacent face ofthe other upstanding end wall |35E. The. pulley 41 has openings 41H therein which receive pins 50 xed in the left-hand end of the roller 30A, thus to support the roller 30AY in a non-rotative relation on the pulley 41. The bracket 35A is similarly xed in position in the head rail 2| by screws 31. through clearance openings 5l in the bracket 35A and the wall ZIB so that the ends 45A and 45B of the cord 45 depend from the rail 2l.

The end wall I35E has a iiange |35F along its upper edge, and also has a projecting lug |35L spaced downwardly from the flange |35F, and a U-shaped spring |35S has its cross bar Ydisposed beneath the flange |351? and on top of the lug l35L.. The arms of the spring |358 extend downwardly and into the groove on opposite sides of thepulley 41, and in this position the spring .bears against the cord 45 Yand aifcrds a frictional retarding force for holding the blind in any desired position of adjustment.

With the simple. structure thus aorded, I have found that regardless of size, a Venetian blind may be readily tilted despite the fact that no provision is made for actuating or. rotating the roller 30B directly from the tilt cord 45. Thus, when the roller 30A is rocked or rotated, it operates to impart tilting forces to the. associated tape 25, and these tilting forces are effective to cause tilting movement of the slats and the. toe rail throughout their entire length, it being noted that. the roller 30B is freely rotatable and supports the related portions of the slats and toe rail. in a balanced condition whereby such tilting of the. entire blind is rendered possible.

In this regard it should be observed that because of the frictional, association of the roller 30A with its tape, and by reason of the provision of elevating means that are independent of suchroller,V the relative lengths of the cord ends 45A and 45B may be freely adjusted, as described and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 161,876, filed May 13, 1950.

Thus, while I have. illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the pur-view of the following claim. I claim: In a Venetian blind having an elongated upper supporting frame, a plurality of slats, a toe rail,

' elevating cords and ladder tapes conventionally The cord 45 extends w associated with said slats, toe rail and elevating cords, said tapeshaving inner and outer bands connected together at their upper ends to afford supporting loops, means for supporting said loops comprising aligned rotatable members having cylindrical surfaces and mounted on said supporting frame "longitudinally thereof for independent rotation, means including a pulley operatively connected to one of said rotatable members -for rotating the same through successive complete revolutions inA either direction, a tilting cord extended overand depending as a pair of actuating ends from said pulley, said cylindrical surfaces being extended through. said supporting loops and frictionally engaged thereby so that rotation of said-one ofsaid rotatable members imparts tilting movements to said-one ei said tapes and tilting movement of saidone of said tapes serving through said slats to impart corresponding tilting movements to the other of said tapes, and slippingof said one of said rotatable members relative to the related one of said tapes atthe limits of tilting movement enables-adjustment of the relative lengths of the actuating ends of the tilting` cord to be attained.

. MICHAEL J NARDULLI.

REFERENCES .CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Hunter Mar. 12, 1946 

